Aboriginal Day Live announces 2012 lineup featuring Kashtin

Posted by Kim Wheeler, CBC Music Producer | Wednesday May 23, 2012

National Aboriginal Day is celebrated each year on June 21. It is a day that recognizes and celebrates the contributions of Aboriginal people to Canada.

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) celebrates the day by broadcasting the largest outdoor free concert: Aboriginal Day Live. One of the most popular groups in Aboriginal music history will reunite to perform live for the Winnipeg audience - Kashtin. This Quebec duo found popularity and commercial success in the late '80s and early '90s, and more recently they collaborated with hip-hop artist Samian on his remake of Kashtin's hit, "Tshinanu."

This year the concert takes place on Saturday, June 23 at The Forks in Winnipeg and a second, smaller concert will take place in Regina at the First Nations University of Canada, simultaneously.

The Forks, with a 6,000-year history, is a traditional gathering place of the Ojibwa and Dakota peoples of the region. It is also where the Red and Assiniboine rivers meet, and now where Winnipeggers gather for outdoor concerts, shopping and eating at several restaurants in the marketplace.

Starting at 11 a.m., the public can take part in the daylong celebrations that include an artisans' marketplace, storytelling and indigenous fare. As well, there will be performances throughout the day including Canada's Got Talent's grand prize winner, Sagkeeng's Finest.

More than 30,000 people will pass through the celebrations, but most come for the concert, which begins at 8 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on APTN.

The Winnipeg show is hosted by Don Kelly, host of CBC's Trailbreakers and APTN's A Fish Out of Water, and Candy Palmater, comedienne and contributor to Radio One's DNTO and APTN's The Candy Show.

Don Amero performs at the announcement of the lineup of Aboriginal Day Live (CBC)

Cree/Métis folk singer Christa Couture joins Inuk singer Beatrice Deer, along with pop-rock band Indian City; Sto:lo R&B singer Inez, Australian country songster Adam James, hip-hop star Joey Stylez and Lil Pappie will all hit the Winnipeg stage. Meanwhile, in Regina the first lady of Aboriginal music, Buffy Sainte-Marie, will perform, as well as guitar god Stevie Salas. A full lineup of the Regina performers will be made available on the Aboriginal Day Live website soon.

Aboriginal Day Live will be broadcast to more than 200,000 people across the country, with an additional 400,000 listeners on nine radio stations including broadcast partners NCI-FM and STREETZ in Winnipeg. It is in its sixth year, and began at a small outdoor park just outside of APTN's Winnipeg studios in 2007.